Frank Jefferson HortonLieutenant Colonel, United States
ArmyMember of Congress

HORTON, Frank Jefferson, a Representative
from New York; born in Cuero, De Witt County, Texas, December 12, 1919;
attended the public schools of Baton Rouge, Louisiana; A.B., Louisiana
State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, 1941; LL.B., Cornell University
Law School, Ithaca, New York, 1947; United States Army 1941-1945; admitted
to the New York bar, 1947; lawyer, private practice; active in civil defense
and Boy Scout work; president of Rochester Community Baseball, Inc., 1956-1962;
executive vice president of the International Baseball League, 1959-1961,
and also attorney for the league; member of the city council of Rochester,
1955-1961; elected as a Republican to the Eighty-eighth and to the fourteen
succeeding Congresses (January 3, 1963-January 3, 1993); not a candidate
for renomination to the One Hundred Third Congress in 1992; died on August
30, 2004, in Winchester, Virginia; interment in Arlington National Cemetery,
Arlington, Virginia.N.Y. Representative Frank Horton

Frank Jefferson Horton, a liberal Republican
who sought bipartisan cooperation in his 30 years in the House of Representatives,
died Aug. 30 of a stroke at his home in Bentonville, Virginia. He was 84.

Representing a district in Upstate New York,
Mr. Horton sponsored the Whistle Blower Protection Act of 1990, which was
designed to protect federal workers exposing government fraud and waste.
He was also a friend of the District of Columbia, sponsoring a bill in
1965 to grant limited home rule, including a nonvoting member of the House.
The Home Rule Act, which allowed the District to elect its own officials
for the first time, was passed in 1973.

Elected as a mainstream Republican during the
Kennedy administration, Mr. Horton increasingly found himself out of step
with his party, which grew more conservative during his time in the House.
By 1990, he was voting against the Republican administration of President
George H.W. Bush as much as 65 percent of the time.

Mr. Horton was easily elected to 15 consecutive
terms from a district that included parts of Rochester and suburban and
rural areas even after he was jailed for drunken driving in 1976. He was
the ranking Republican on the Government Operations Committee, and he served
on the Post Office and Civil Service Committee.

As a former executive of the Rochester Red
Wings, a minor league baseball franchise in his home town, Mr. Horton also
argued as early as 1971 that Washington deserved a major league baseball
team.

Mr. Horton was born in Cuero, Texas, and grew
up in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. After graduating from Louisiana State University,
he served in North Africa and Italy with the Army in World War II, reaching
the rank of Major. He received his law degree from Cornell University in
1947 and settled in Rochester, where he practiced law until 1962.

He was co-owner of a boys' camp in Canada and
president of the Red Wings from 1957 to 1963. He also was an executive
and attorney with the International League, with which the Red Wings were
affiliated.

He served on the Rochester City Council from
1955 to 1961 and was elected to the House in 1962. During his three-decade
tenure, Mr. Horton was known as a backroom dealmaker, often arranging for
people from his state to be placed on influential committees. In his final
term, he was named head of the New York delegation, even though he was
one of only 13 Republicans among his state's 33 House members.

After leading an inquiry that studied 36 reports
and 770 recommendations on excessive government paperwork, Mr. Horton,
apparently without irony, proposed the Paperwork Reduction Act, which was
passed in 1980. He led an effort in 1988 to have federal agencies adopt
an office of inspector general, which he said could save the government
billions of dollars. He also sought, unsuccessfully, to have the Environmental
Protection Agency made a Cabinet department.

Teaming with then-Rep. Patricia Schroeder (D-Colorado),
he introduced the Whistle Blower Protection Act in 1987. It was vetoed
by President Ronald Reagan. Denouncing the veto by his own party's president
as a "reprehensible act," Mr. Horton reintroduced the bill in 1989. It
was enacted in 1990.

In July 1976, after a six-mile car chase that
reached speeds of 105 mph, Mr. Horton was arrested in New York for drunken
driving. Two women, neither of whom was his wife, were with him at the
time. He served 11 days in jail. The following November, he was reelected
with 66 percent of the vote.

On April 9, 1992, he released a General Accounting
Office report stating that taxpayers spent $150 million for federal officials
to fly on Air Force planes. The next day, he and his second wife -- one
of the women in his car in 1976 -- flew on an Air Force jet to Florida
for a meeting with Canadian legislators.

He decided to retire when his district was
merged in 1992 with a district represented by Louise M. Slaughter (D).

His marriage to Marjorie Wilcox Horton ended
in divorce.

Survivors include his wife, Nancy Flood Horton,
and two sons from his first marriage, Frank Horton Jr. and Steven Horton.
September 1, 2004

Former Congressman Frank J. Horton listened
to the concerns of his constituents and helped people find their way through
the federal government. It was that ability, longtime local politicians
say, that made him enormously popular.

Mr. Horton was one of Monroe County's most
enduring politicians. Constituents elected him to Congress 15 times.

He died Monday at the age of 84. He had suffered
a massive stroke on Thursday at his home in rural Virginia.

"I'll tell you one thing about Frank, he never
looked for things for Frank Horton," said David A. Lovenheim, who was Horton's
chief of staff from 1967 to 1978 and a staff member for 13 years. "The
man had his income from Congress, he had his house, he had one share of
Xerox stock and one share of Kodak stock and 10 shares of Rochester Community
Baseball stock.

"If you wanted to know where he lived politically,
he was always more comfortable with working people than he was the extremely
wealthy or big business people."

Mr. Horton — a Republican who represented much
of Monroe County as well as Cayuga, Oswego, Seneca and Wayne counties —
served for 30 years in the House. He was a politician who was comfortable
on both sides of the aisle.

At the time of his death, Mr. Horton and his
wife, Nancy, were living in a small Virginia town south of Front Royal.
Their house was in the mountains and surrounded by trees and wildlife.
Nancy Horton said that her husband's health had been deteriorating in the
past year. But he loved his house and the time he spent with family there.

"It's a fantastic life. ... Frank and I were
both in agreement that the day you're born you start to die and you better
live well in between," said his wife of more than 20 years. "It has been
wonderful."

Mr. Horton was the son of a railroad worker.
He was born in Cuero, Texas, in 1919 and moved to Baton Rouge, Louisiana,
with his family at age 7. He graduated from Louisiana State University
before joining the U.S. Army before the outbreak of World War II.

During the war, he was wounded in the invasion
of North Africa and spent two years in Italy.

His path to Rochester started during the war.
He met his first wife, Marjorie, a nurse, while being treated at a hospital
in Italy. She was from western New York and after the war he decided to
attend law school at Cornell University to be close to his wife's family.
A Rochester law firm hired him after graduation. The couple had two sons
before they were divorced.

Mr. Horton served on the Rochester City Council
from 1955 until 1961 — a period when Republicans controlled the city. He
was elected to Congress in 1962, representing parts of the city, Brighton,
Penfield and Webster in Monroe County.

He retired in 1992 and was the last Republican
from Monroe County to serve in Congress.

Mr. Horton was known for funneling federal
dollars to the Rochester area, including to the University of Rochester
and the Women's Rights Historical Park in Seneca Falls.

Richard Rosenbaum, a former GOP gubernatorial
candidate and former owner of Lawyers Publishing Corp., said Mr. Horton
once flew from Washington, D.C., in nasty winter weather to be the keynote
speaker for the launch of his campaign.

"It was really a remarkable effort on his part,"
said Rosenbaum, a former Monroe County and state Republican chairman. "You
could almost say he was compulsive in his wish to serve his constituents."

Monroe County GOP Chairman Stephen Minarik
III said "he was one of the more popular public officials that we ever
had in the community."

As a Republican, Mr. Horton was in the House
minority for his entire career. Also during his entire congressional career,
he served on the Governmental Operations Committee — which had oversight
of policy and government efficiency. It was not a plum position, but on
that committee he helped craft legislation to assist agencies in cutting
waste, fraud and abuse. He also helped expand the Cabinet to 14 positions
from eight.

He was instrumental in placing inspectors general
in federal departments and passing the 1989 Whistleblowers Protection Act.
Mr. Horton was a founder and former co-chairman of the Northeast-Midwest
coalition, which fought for more favorable federal treatment for aging
industrial cities.

"He was fair and independent," said Lovenheim.
"He was not somebody who followed anybody's party line. He thought through
every issue he faced in Congress and in his life, for himself."

Representative Louise Slaughter, D-Fairport,
was his friend for many years. He retired from Congress when faced with
the possibility of running against her in 1992 after redistricting placed
the two in the same district.

"I valued his advice and friendship," Slaughter
said. "He was a man of integrity and I use that in the absolute strongest
sense."

Nancy Horton said Slaughter returned her husband's
favor Monday by helping secure a burial plot at Arlington National Cemetery.
Arlington had denied Nancy Horton's request for burial Monday, she said.
She called Slaughter and within 15 minutes the cemetery called back to
confirm a burial date, she said.

"Frank's dearest hope and dream was to be buried
at Arlington and the space is so limited," Horton said, adding that he
will be buried in his uniform.

Former Congressman Frank J. Horton, who
represented much of the Finger Lakes region for 30 years, died Monday at
the age of 84 in Winchester, Virginia.

From 1983 through his retirement at the end
of 1992, Horton’s district included all of Seneca, Wayne, Cayuga and Oswego
counties and parts of Monroe and Oneida counties. Before a 1983 redistricting,
it included Monroe County east of the Genesee River and all of Wayne County.

Horton began his 30 years in Congress with
the Cuban missile crisis and ended it with agreements between the United
States and Russia to destroy nuclear weapons. In between, he had a front-row
seat to history in the making, including the civil rights movement, the
assassination of President John F. Kennedy, the race
to the moon, Watergate, the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency
and the Department of Energy, the tearing down of the Berlin Wall and the
fall of the Soviet Union.

He co-authored a 1967 book, “How to End the
Draft: The Case for an All-Volunteer Army,” that helped lay the foundation
for the modern professional military.

For 10 years after retiring, he worked with
Venable, Baetjer, Howard and Civilleti Law Offices.

Horton was born Dec. 12, 1919, in Cuero, Texas.
He received a bachelor’s degree from Louisiana State University in 1941
and a law degree from Cornell University in 1947. He was also a World War
II veteran, having fought in North Africa and Italy as a second lieutenant
with the Army. He began his political career on the Rochester City Council.

Ontario County Republican Committee Chairman
Rick Herman knew Horton for many years, as his father helped Horton on
his early campaigns and Herman later lived in the same Rochester neighborhood
as the congressman.

“A great, great guy. I was saddened to hear
of his passing,” Herman said.

Herman said Horton was a great role model for
him when he was starting out.

“He was a guy who really knew politics. He
never forgot his local base,” Herman said, adding that Horton understood
and always remembered the importance of serving, helping and protecting
the people he served.

Shortly before retiring, Horton told the Times
he enjoyed serving the people and always signed his letters personally.

“I learned this from my father, who treasured
letters he received from Louisiana Congressman Morris Shephard. I made
a resolution that I would always sign all of my mail.”

Horton’s congressional duties included being
vice chairperson of the House Government Operations Committee, chairing
the New York Bi-Partisan Delegation and serving on the Post Office and
Civic Service Committee and the Commission on Federal Paperwork. He co-founded
the Northeast-Midwest Coalition and was regarded as the dean of the state’s
delegation because of his many years of service.

“Frank Horton was a hard-working, compassionate
public servant, deeply committed to his community and those he represented,”
said Rep. Thomas M. Reynolds, R-27 of Clarence. “His 30 years of public
service set a great example. He will be missed not only by the Rochester
community, but all those whose lives he touched.”

Horton was also highly regarded for his ability
to work with colleagues from other parties, even earning the cross-endorsement
of the Democratic Party at times.

“He was a prince of a man — non-partisan, friendly
to all, and hardworking for New York,” said Sen. Charles Schumer, a Democrat.

Rep. Jim Walsh, R-25 of Syracuse, was also
saddened by the news.

“He was a gentleman, a humble statesman and
decorated veteran, and a good friend,” Walsh wrote in a press release.
“Just after my election to Congress in 1988, Mr. Horton — then the Republican
dean of the New York delegation — welcomed me to the House of Representatives
with open arms and offered guidance and advice [that] I still follow to
this day ....

“My thoughts and prayers go out today to his
wife, Nancy, and their sons and families. We join with them in saluting
this great man as preparations are made for him to take his deserved place
at Arlington National Cemetery.”
August 31, 2004

Former congressman Frank Horton, who represented
the region in the House of Representatives for 30 years, died Monday at
his home in Virginia. He was 84.

Representative Horton retired in 1993 when
his district was redrawn rather than seek re-election against incumbent
Representative Louise Slaughter, D-Perinton.

Before his election to Congress, Representative
Horton was a member of the Rochester City Council from 1955 to 1961. He
was president of Rochester Community Baseball Inc. from 1956 to 1961, and
was executive vice president of the International Baseball League from
1959 to 1961, also serving as attorney for the league.

Born in Texas and raised in Louisiana, Representative
Horton graduated from law school at Cornell University, was admitted to
the New York bar in 1947 and began his practice in Rochester.
ROCHESTER, NEW YORK - Former congressman Frank Horton,
a Republican from Monroe County who served 30 years in the U-S House of
Representatives, has died.

Horton was 84 years old.

The lawmaker from Penfield was first elected
in 1962. He retired in 1992.

The Rochester Democrat and Chronicle reports
that Horton suffered a massive stroke at his home in Bentonville, Virginia.

Funeral services are scheduled September 29th
at Fort Myer, Virginia, with burial to follow at Arlington National Cemetery.
FRANK J. HORTON, LTC, USA

A funeral service will be held at Fort Myer
Chapel on September 29, 2004 at 11 a.m. Burial will follow in Arlington
National Cemetery.

Mr. Horton was born December 12, 1919 in Cuero,
Texas, the son of the late Frank J. and Mary R. Hathcox Horton. He was
a veteran of World War II serving in the United States Army. He was retired
from the United States Congress serving from 1962 until 1992. He retired
from Venable, Baetjer, Howard and Civilleti Law Offices in 2002.

R. W. Brother Horton served as the Worshipful
Master of Seneca Lodge in 1962, after which he was designated as the Grand
Representative of the Grand Lodge of Ohio near the Grand Lodge of New York,
an honorarium that he had for nearly thirty years.

In 1965, he was coroneted a 33º Sovereign
Grand Inspector General,Honorary Member of Supreme Council. Many Seneca
Lodge members were at Grand Lodge in New York in 1987 when Frank received
the Grand Lodge Distinguished Achievement Medal in recognition of his thirty
years as a member of the Congress of the United States as well as his service
to our Craft.

He was the founding President of the Masonic
Service Bureau of Rochester, New York in the early 1960’s and presented
its annual Distinguished Community Service Award for thirty years.

Frank is interred at Arlington National Cemetery.
He was an Army Officer in World War II, having served in both northern
Africa and the European theatre of military operations. The Spring
2004 Reuni! on of the Valley of Rochester, New York, Ancient Accepted Scottish
Rite, was named in his honor.
Posted: 31 August
2004 Updated: 1 September 2004 Updated: 3 September 2004 Updated:
6 January 2005 Updated: 27 August 2005 Updated:
21 September 2006